The IRIS Prize is the world’s largest LGBT+ short film competition with prizes up to £30,000 and money can’t buy features on Channel 4.
This year, LCR Pride Foundation selected Fairview Park to represent the North West at the Best of British.
A haunting but poignant short film based on true events, Fairview Park tells the story of Declan Flynn, a 31-year-old man struggling for self-acceptance, who is preyed upon by a gang of self-described ‘Queer-bashers’ in Dublin, 1982.
We spoke with Fairview Park Director Ellie Hodgetts and Lead Producer Joe Tapp about getting Declan’s story right, working with Declan’s brother and being shortlisted for an Iris Prize…
Why was it important for you to tell the story of Declan Flynn?
Ellie: When I first heard about it, it was quite a few years ago now, I was shocked that I hadn’t heard about it before. When we started speaking to other people about Declan’s story, there were quite a lot of people who hadn’t heard about what had happened. When we were making the film, some of the Irish cast, who were queer people, hadn’t heard about it either. It’s important to get the word out that it happened in the first place. This happened 40 years ago but there’s similar stuff happening now and has been happening for the last 40 years. The main thing is to encourage people to have these conversations and hopefully make some sort of change.
Joe: What we discovered when making the film, because we worked very closely with Declan’s family, so Declan’s brother Paul, and it was quite insightful to discover who Declan was. So yes it was this tragic event and it was one of the catalysts for a very important movement, but what we wanted to do justice was Declan’s memory because he was a man struggling with his identity. I think many people can relate to that, so that’s a major part of why we wanted to tell his story.
How was working with Declan’s brother Paul Flynn?
Ellie: It was daunting to even reach out to the family in the first place. We wouldn’t have wanted to make the film without their approval. Paul is such a lovely guy and he helped us so much. I can’t even imagine how difficult it would have been for him. We are really grateful to him that he trusted us to tell Declan’s story. What was really nice actually was I think Paul, at some point, said how similar Denis Grindel (who plays Declan in Fairview Park) looked to Declan. Paul had a lot of influence over how we shot those family scenes because he told us so much about how family life was and how Declan was, so that definitely had a big influence on the characters and the style and the way it looked.
How did you react to being nominated for the Iris Prize?
Ellie: Really good. For me, definitely, that was one of the festivals that I wanted to show the film at because it’s so well known and you get such a wide audience there.
Joe: It’s one of the first festivals you put down on the sheet to get into. To be shortlisted is great. For us, it gives us an opportunity to actually let the right people see the film and network and build upon what we’ve created.
What was the process like of putting the film together from start to finish?
Ellie: It was so long. I’m 31 now and I was 25 when I started writing it, so six years ago. And that was just the initial research which, because it’s based on a true story, you want to make sure you get everything right. Films take a lot longer than people think. We’re so grateful for everyone involved. There was quite a big casting crew and they worked so hard on mostly minimum wage, so we’re really grateful to them. Hundreds of people are involved in this film and it wouldn’t have been able to get made without everyone.
Joe: Making a period film is quite tricky and getting everything right, including the accents, down to how it looks. It’s crazy that we actually did it in Leeds as well. It was a really good match for Dublin. For the last portion of the film, we went over to Dublin for the 40th anniversary of Declan’s death and everybody got together in Fairview Park. It was really surreal, actually.
What’s next for Fairview Park?
Joe: We’ve just been selected for the Galway Film Fleadh, which is arguably one of the biggest film festivals in Ireland. I’ve always wanted to get into it, so it’s massive. Iris happened and then Galway, so it’s the perfect mix to start us off.
